Many firearms incorporate some manner of charging handle, sometimes also referred to as a cocking handle or bolt handle, allowing a user of the firearm to manually draw a bolt of the firearm to the rear. This can serve various purposes depending on the firearm. For instance, in automatic and semi-automatic rifles, in which the firing mechanism automatically cycles the bolt under ordinary circumstances, it may be necessary to use the charging handle to clear the firearm after a misfire.
In the AR weapon platform the charging handle typically enters the receiver via an opening on the rear end thereof above where the buffer tube and buttstock extends rearwardly. The typical charging handle for such rifles includes a shaft that is inserted through the opening in the receiver and with a front end engaging the bolt and an operator portion at a rear end of the bolt engagement portion that is adapted to be grasped by the user and incorporates a latch.
Currently, Standard/Milspec charging handle designs are limited because they are not designed for latchless or ambidextrous use. Consequently, the U.S. military is currently searching for a simple, lightweight, and low cost solution to the ambidextrous charging handle problem. Current attempts to making ambidextrous charging handles have been less than satisfactory (e.g., cause excessive receiver wear, too complex, too heavy).